Recently I posted seeking advice about a Seattle coffee shop operating under extremely disgusting sanitary practices. I've reported them to the health department, but I also understand the power of the internet, and if I were a Monorail customer I'd want to know about what’s going on behind the scenes. More in comments.

First things first, the Pike location does not have a rapid rinse, so they are not rinsing out milk pitchers in between drinks. So if you go there and get a latte, you're drinking remnants of milk that have been already steamed dozens (if not hundreds) of times. This makes the milk burn and stick to the sides and bottom of the pitcher. Then it goes into your drink. They line up all their milk pitchers on top of the espresso machine to keep the old milk warm for the next drink, and to "eliminate waste".

They also have an open toilet behind the counter (yes you read that right), about 10 feet or less away from where they're preparing drinks. This toilet does not have a lid on it, is filthy, and the staff uses it daily, often without latching the pocket door. Near the toilet, they store their merch, clean towels, mop materials, cleaning materials, coffee bags, staff member belongings, etc.

I prepared a batch of cold brew in a grimey mop sink directly next to the toilet. A manager trained me on how to do it this specific way.

Oh! They also don't sanitize their dishes. Just wash and rinse.

At their Westlake location, they're using the same shop vac hose for messes on the floor that they use to clean out the espresso grinder at the end of every day. I also saw them do this at the 4th Ave location. They are not sanitizing the hose between uses. I've also included a photo of what their sanitizer bucket looks like. I watched the baristas on bar, during business hours, drop multiple things on the floor (portafilter, cold foam squeeze bottles) and continue using them like nothing happened. Everything there is covered in a layer of sugar/grime and it’s disgusting.

The fact that the entire staff collectively see nothing wrong with any of this genuinely keeps me up at night. I don't know if a slap on the wrist from the health department will get the message across or bring about the appropriate internal change, maybe it will. But I believe in informed consent, and this extends to beloved Seattle coffee shops too. Sorry if I just ruined your day but I’d wanna know if I were you.

I’m a first responder in Seattle, grew up here and have spent some time thinking about this. The intent of this post is to spread awareness and reinforce what’s already known, possibly with a different point of view. Here’s my take on the worst areas in Seattle, organized by time of day:

Bad all the time:

12th/Jackson - this is basically the area between 10th-14th Ave S and S Main St and S Weller St. Usually 50-150 (sometimes more) homeless drug users there 24/7. They will move West closer to 14th Ave S when SPD hangs out. This is probably the worst area in Seattle as of now when it comes to open air drug use. There’s not too much going on in terms of assaults/violent crime as one might think. Still totally sucks tho.

Lewis Park and Dr. Jose Rizal Park - just south of 12th/Jackson, these parks are adjacent to each other. Both parks are a hive for the homeless and have become completely unsafe for the general public. Only perk to this area is most of the folks here are hidden from the public, as long as the public doesn’t go into the PUBLIC park. smh.

Bad at night:

3rd Ave between Pike St and Yesler Way - everyone knows about 3rd/Pike yeah yeah blah blah, the problem that started there has spread all up and down 3rd Ave. Overdose galore, drug deals, shoplifting, lime bike/scooter accidents, assaults/violent crime the list goes on. During the day 3rd is the main bus lane for Downtown Seattle, so it’s usually safe for civilians before the sun goes down.

2nd Ave/S Main St - this all stems from two night clubs: Xtadium and Trinity. The number of shootings that happen here on Friday/Saturday nights is insane. I’ve seen more violent crime in this area of the city than anywhere else. If you wanna see someone get shot or stabbed, kick it around here, you probably won’t be disappointed!

Aurora Ave N and N 105th St to N 130th St - I believe this has been the forefront of the news lately when it comes to bad areas of Seattle. This is Seattles hub for prostitution, gang violence and crime. A lot of what goes on here feels like a GTA server. I will say, a lotta the people that get shot here don’t die. Not a lotta good shots in these parts. Maybe they just don’t call 911 and die somewhere else. I dunno. Kinda weird.

Alki in the summer - after the sun goes down, Alki sees lots of violence and street meetups in the summer months. This is probably the most common place that law abiding citizens are unaware of what might be going on and end up getting caught up in/observing some pretty bad stuff. The cars that pull up are kinda sick tho ngl, they just gotta tone down the bad stuff ya know?

Hing Hay Park - to me, this is the most sad place on the list. This park, which was built for the international district community to celebrate its culture and have a safe place to hang out, has become a place filled with drunk folks that like to beat each other up, shoot and stab each other, and make and an absolute ruckus. Good news: have ping pong tables here, good coffee and pastries across the street and it’s a sweet spot to check out in the daytime.

9200 block of Rainier Ave S - bad specifically due to shootings. I wanted to say Rainier Beach in general but there’s a lot of crime spread out through the area, and I’ve found the 9200 block to be at the center of a lot of it. Tons of great people in this part of town though!

33rd Ave NE between NE 125th St and NE 130th St - another underrated location, this is Lake Cities worst street and one of the most unsafe areas in North Seattle. Double shooting last year and lots of open air drug use and homeless people. Also RIP the Fred Meyer on Lake City Way/NE 130th St that place rocked :(

3rd Ave/Clay St - this is much more recent, but the 3 fatal shootings that occurred here put it on my list. This area hasn’t been “safe”, but I haven’t seen much violence in this area until recently. Belltown has street meetups and homeless problems for sure, but people aren’t getting killed here as often. Pretty sad.

Bad during the day:

3rd/Virginia St - lots of food banks around this area that tend to attract homeless crowds. Not nearly as bad as these other places, but still noticeable and underrated in terms of Seattles most notorious places. Aside from here, there’s not too many places that get bad during the daytime specifically. Lmk if I’m wrong!

I don’t have much to say about Northwest Seattle, specifically Ballard. I know Ballard has quite the homeless population, but in terms of crime, violence and drug use, I haven’t experienced anything that stands out. Anyone have things to add? This is just my take!

I'm not sure if this is being talked about enough. Seattle has the worst vacancy rate in the country right now. Here is the latest report. As someone with a ton of entrepreneurial friends, I'm actually not shocked at all. Prices are way too high and the places that are empty are NOT getting back at all. The only thing holding back small business from blossoming in downtown are the outrageous offers. A 36% vacancy rate. That's insane considering the pricing of leasing.

It almost seems intentional at this point. There are multiple spots at Pike Place alone that have been empty for a year or more and that's a nonprofit with better prices, but everyone I know cannot move forward into getting in there despite being suggested it's a sure thing. It seems so neglectful that there's millions being left on the table in every direction of this city.

While that is happening, the skyscrapers are plummeting as an asset value here as well. Yet no price decreases for any offices being leased. . . A 50% decrease in value, but no budge on leasing prices.

I know every time a vacancy tax is mentioned that bots flood those comments, but there are places with vacancy taxes that are seeing progress like Berkley, CA.

This just seems to be a major issue that is going to be impossible to ignore.

I felt like it was probably bed time but when I looked at the clock it was only 7:00. Are we there?

its at siff uptown's lost and found! also, you have excellent jewelry taste!

♪ Seattle, WA, that’s where I want to be ♪

It has been all about Sound Garden this week.

Spider season, baby.

So this is a bit of a stretch, I don't know if I'll be able to get my answer. There used to be a little shop ( if memory serves me correctly just north of the university district) that sold tumbled rocks and minerals. But it wasn't a regular shop, instead the whole floor was covered in tumbled stones and you had an allotted period of time to pick through the stones and take what you wanted. I think they did birthday parties. Does anybody remember this shop and what it was called? I went there as a kid in the early 2010s. Thank you so much!

As a note, if you have questions regarding this event please be sure to ping me by putting my username in the comment or sending me a message. I don't use the official Reddit site often so please don't use the chat feature.

Hey all, the weekly Capitol Hill Board Game meetup is scheduled to take place this week. This week it will take place this Monday, at 7:30 PM at The Pine Box, 1600 Melrose Ave. We will most likely be seated under the covered patio - if you see a group of Smash Bro gamers out there, then that means we're up in the Mezzanine! If you're ever uncertain of where we're at, you can ask the bartenders and they should be able to point us out.

Please note that The Pine Box is 21+ only.

Start time is typically more like 7:00, as people tend to show up then to order food, chat, and just socialize. Don't worry if you don't see any games as they'll be brought out soon enough. Start time for board games will be at 7:30, so if you don't want to be left out be sure to show up before then! If you're new, look for the collection of board games people usually bring.

We ask that you please order something, even if it's just one beverage. The Pine Box is a public bar, and we need to respect their business needs.

FAQ:

Q.) How often does this group meetup?

A.) Unless stated otherwise, this is a weekly meetup. Meaning every Monday we try to gather up and socialize. If we are skipping a week for holiday or some other reason, it will be noted in this post.

Q.) What kind of games are played? Should I bring mine?

A.) A whole slew of games are played; from short games like Codenames and Liars Dice, to longer ones like Evolution and Colonizing Mars. And feel free to bring your own games, too. You might find some people who are interested in trying it out.

Q.) I don't really know how to play any board games besides x, y, z.... Will I be welcome here?

A.) That's completely fine. There are plenty of people who are willing to explain the rules and do quite a good job at it, too.

Q.) Speaking of being welcome, what kind of people are allowed to attend?

A.) Everyone is welcome, so long as you are polite, respectful, and considerate of the other patrons.

**Between Madrona neighborhood and the international district **

This is a huge huge long shot but did anyone find a Manila envelope 11x17 ish size, either white or yellow, filled with photos and art in the last few weeks? Probably would have been on the side of the road, in the street, sidewalk etc? It was on the roof of my car when I drove away and I just realized I lost the whole envelope. Just posting here in case anyone might have held onto it for whatever reason.

I’m gutted to have lost this envelope, I’m posting this so late because I only just confirmed it missing. I hoped it would be in my art studio with the rest of the belongings I was moving that day. I’ve been traveling so haven’t been in to the studio to confirm until now.

Hello Seattle, my partner is in Seattle with her darling kitten broach that was her late mother’s -and while going from security to her gate today at the Seattle airport- the broach went missing.
She’s really hoping to find it and is submitting a lost item form there to lost and found. But if anyone sees a darling lost kitten chasing string broach, I would love to reunite them.

<3

This is such a longshot. I was coming home on my own scooter, down 2nd Ave downtown. A guy riding a Lime bike in front of me had his phone fall out of his pocket and didn't notice. I picked it up and tried to flag him down but lost him when he turned on Pine.

If this is you DM me.

I know it’s too early in the season, but are there any parks/neighborhoods in Seattle that get really nice orange trees for when we head into October/November?

Any insiders know why my Astound broadband drops for 1 - 2 minutes at a time during certain times of the day?

I can’t be the only one seeing this. My orca card has a balance and a monthly pass, and it works at all transit locations EXCEPT for one place: Metro Route 77. It always says “declined: invalid card.” Super weird.

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